• Vietnam Bans Barbie Movie over Controversial Map Scene
• History of Film Bans in Vietnam: Abominable, Uncharted, and More
• Details of the New Barbie Film: Cast, Release Date, and Trailer Implications

This is not the first time Vietnam has prohibited a film. Here is why the Vietnamese government prohibited the animated film Abominable by DreamWorks in 2019 and the action film Uncharted by Sony in 2022.

Vietnam has prohibited the long-awaited Barbie movie from Warner Bros.

The film, which was scheduled to debut in the country on July 21, has been prohibited from domestic distribution over a scene depicting a map of China’s unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea, according to state media.

On Chinese maps, the U-shaped “nine-dash line” is used to illustrate China’s claims over a large portion of the South China Sea, including areas that Vietnam considers part of its continental shelf and to which it has granted hydrocarbon concessions.

Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Cinema, a government agency responsible for licensing and censoring foreign films, told Tuoi Tre newspaper, “We do not grant a license to release the American film ‘Barbie’ in Vietnam because it contains the offensive image of the nine-dash line.”

What other films have been prohibited in the nation?

Barbie is not the first film to be banned in the United States.

The Vietnamese government forbade the animated film Abominable by DreamWorks in 2019 and the action film Uncharted by Sony in 2022 for the same reason.

Netflix pulled Pine Gap from Vietnam in 2021 after a broadcasting authority complaint.

Family Guy, The Hunger Games, Full Metal Jacket, and Platoon are also banned in the country, per IMDB.

Vietnam and China have long disputed a potentially energy-rich South China Sea region.

Multiple times, the Southeast Asian nation has accused Chinese vessels of violating its sovereignty.

Sky News has sought comment from Warner Bros.

The latest Barbie film

David Dobkin’s upcoming film about the doll stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.

The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, will be released on July 21 in the United Kingdom.

The length of the family-friendly movie will be just under two hours.

Uncertain is the context of the scene that lead to the ban in Vietnam.

The movie’s trailers, however, imply that audiences can anticipate music and an abundance of pink.